Seed planter and distributor



May 26, 1925. 1 1,539,737

R. F. HESTER SEED PLANTER AND DISTRIBUTOR Filed Feb. 25, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet. 1

.VENTOR Easier,

By I W ATTORNEY.

May 26, 1925. 1,539,737

R.F.HESTER SEED PLANTER AND DISTRIBUTOR Filed Fe 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 HVVIUVTOR. b.fkiestar,

A TTORNE Y.

I Patented May 26, 1925,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RUSSEL r. nnsrnn, or H BER, cALIroRiImQ .snnn I'LANTER am) nrsrniisuron.

Application filed February 25, 1924. Serial No. 695,083.

10, chines, whereby seeds of various kin s may be uniformly distributed upon the prepared ground, and thoroughly mixed or vcommingledprior to the discharge' to insure uniformity in the distribution and growth. 15' Another object of the invention is to provide a'device of this character, adapted to be coupled to a tractor or the like without" material structural change either in the seeding device or in the tractor;-

Another object of the invention is to pro.-

vide ,a device of this character, having means ,for changing the speed of the seed discharging-mechanism to render the device capable of adaptation to different kinds or ll'sizes'of seeds. v I WVith theseand other objects in viewthe invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and ,then specifically pointed out 80' in the-claim and in the drawings illustrative embodiment of the inof the preferred .vention 1 I, Figure 1 is a plan viewof the seed hopper andits discharging mechanism.- i

Figure 2' is a vertical section on-the line 2-2 of Figure 1, of the parts shown in Figurel. I

Figure 3 is a side elevation on a reduced scale, illustrating the manner of connecting the improved device to a conventional trac- Figure 4 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Figure 3.

The improved device comprises a 'seed hopper 10 mounted on a su port 11,1the' latter adaptedto be connected to a suitable carrier device, for instancea tractor, the forward portion of which is indicated conventionallyin Figures 3 and 4. Mounted for rotation in bearings 12 through the lower "part of the hopper 10 is a shaft 13 carrying a screw feeddevice 14. a

- The hopper 10 is-provided with a discha'rge opening 15 over which a sliding belt indicated at 22., By employing a any suitable manner to the fan ca'singan carries a stub shaft 28 and belt pulley 29,

valve member 16 is arranged to control the flow of the see'd,.the valve beingoperative by any suitable means by the driver fromhis' seat on the tractor.

A guide chute 17 is arranged to guide -.the seeds as they are fed from thehopper -by the action of the conveyor 14.

The shaft 13 extends beyond the hopper 10, and supported, for instanceby a spider frame 18,mounted on the extended portion of'the shaft, is a tapered cylindrical 'shell' 19 into which the chute 17 extends, as shown in Figure 2. a '5 The interiorof the shell19 is provided with a plurality of inclined andcurved flights {BO-operative as the shell is rotated to "thoroughly mix or commingle the seeds and convey them through the shell and dis I charge them'from its larger end.

- Mounted on the shell 19 area plurality of belt pulleys 21 of varying sizes, preferably. in grooved form to receive a cord rality of the pulleys 20 "of varying sizes, the speed of the shaft 13 can be increased or decreased to correspondinglycontrol the feed, as will be obvious;

7 Any sui ble means may rotate the, pulleys '21, but preferably the motion of some portion of a"tractor will be employed for that purpose, and for thepurpose of illustration the motion of the fan belt of the tractor is shown arranged to produce the requisite motion.

' In Figures .3 and 4 the forward part ofa H conventional tractor is shown including the radiator at 23, the fan shaft at 24, the fan belt at 25, and a portion of the bracket-26 -for supporting the fan shaft.

A 'hanger indicated at 27, is attached in in alinement' with thebelt pulley of the fan shaft, and engaged by the fan belt 25, and rotated thereby, as indicated by dotted lines inFigure '4. The stub shaft 28 also car-' ries a'cord belt pulley 30over which the Pillbe employed to v be moved transversely ofthe support to enable any one of the cord pulleys 21 to be disposed in alinement with the cord pulley 30.

By this means the speed of' the shaft 13 may be controlled to increase or decrease the speed ofthe seed discharge as re uired,

Thev controlling valve 16 is S 10WI1 'pro-.

vided with pull cords 32 to operate the same and are designed to lead to a point convenient to the seat, not shown, of the driver of the tractor.

WVhile a conventional and operatiye means tion is disclosed in the drawings and set forth in the specificatiom but it. will be understood that modifications within the scope of the claimed invention may be made in the construction without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing. any of'its advantages.

Havin thus described the invention, what is aimed as negw, is:

Ina seed-scattering device, a support adapted to be attached to a traversing machine, 'saidtraversing machine having a driving element, a supp'ly hopper, an out etfor said hopper, a sha t extending through said hopper and having a portion extending Said shaft carrying a beyond said. hop r the hopper, a hollow.

feed element W1 scattering member of frusto-conical formation attached to said shaft externally of said hopper and in communication with the out-v let of said hopper,-a pluralityw'of belt pul- :leys of varying size mounted on one end of said scattering member and I concentric therewith, a Tlrive belt operating overa selected one of the belt pulleys and the 'driving element of the' traversing machine, and means for adjustably coupling-the said 110pper and its attachments to said sup 'ort to respectively aline the belt'pulleys with the driving element of the traversing machine.

ture hereto.

BUSSEL F. HESTER. 

